Acupunture - pseudoscience?

[bennyboy]

Let me weigh in.

First of all, the placebo effect is not to be disregarded. It can cause a reduction of pain, and sometimes even things like clearing up of rashes and so on. This is because pain is a mental function, and the brain has some ability to maintain its state, because the brain is responsible for blood flow and so on. Psychological effects can reduce stress and anxiety, and if stress is reduced permanently, it can have a permanent and positive effect on a person's physiology.

So if someone has chronic pain, and goes to some alternative therapy (like acupuncture), and feels less pain, then that's great. That's a successful result.

The problem comes when temporary relief from symptoms is confused with a successful treatment of the underlying condition. If someone desperately needs knee surgery, but fails to get it because either through acupuncture or painkillers or other drugs they feel better, there's a problem-- the physical structure will continue to deteriorate, until loss of the knee's function demands emergency (and probably more expensive) surgery.